Exploring artistic swimming in Australia

Although artistic swimming is not the most popular water sport there's no doubt that it is the most impressive of all. The spectacle of a balanced team of women performing a perfectly choreographed movement inside the swimming pool is indeed something else. How much do we know about this fascinating sport in Australia?

The history of artistic swimming

 In artistic swimming, a female team is balancing its movement in the water with the music playing from speakers. Its name changed in 2017 from synchronised swimming to artistic swimming. Regardless of the controversy that this change produced within the fans' community, the bottom line is that those two elements are essential: synchronicity and artistic movement. Whether it's a female duet or a whole team dancing gracefully in the water, there needs to be a strong coordination structure. 

The historical roots of artistic swimming lie at the end of the 19th century. It was in 1891 when the first recorded competition of “water ballet” (as was its first name) took place in Berlin. In Australia, the sport became known at the beginning of the 20th century by an influential figure of the time. It was the talented Annette Kellermann who performed water ballet in a glass tank at a New York theatre in 1907. Kellermann was a professional swimmer as well as an actress and writer. She was a real star of her time. The legacy that the Diving Venus-as she was called-was rich. 

Artistic swimming in Australia

 Water ballet continued to grow and expand worldwide until another milestone changed its course over time. In 1933, American swimmer and physical education instructor Katherine Curtis organised a performance in Chicago, where her students combined water ballet with music. The announcer of the show, which was part of the World Exhibition in Chicago was Norman Ross, a former Olympic swimming gold medalist. It was Ross who used the term synchronised swimming for the first time when presenting the performance. After that, as we use to say, history was born.

The first Australian club of synchronised swimming started operating in Melbourne in the early '50s followed by the formation of a similar club in Victoria. It was that period, in 1952, when Curtis was welcomed at the Helsinki Olympic Games and a torch was lit in honour of her. In the next Olympic Games, held in Melbourne in 1956, the stunned spectators watched the performance of a US team in a packed Olympic Stadium. In 1968, FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation) also known as the International Swimming Federation recognised officially synchronised swimming as a water sport. However, it was not until the summer Olympic Games of 1984 that it became an official Olympic Sport. In 1997, synchronised swimming was part of the World Aquatics Championship that was held in Melbourne. 

How hard is artistic swimming?

 For anyone who has watched, even once, an artistic swimming performance it is obvious that it's a hard sport to perform. But can we define how hard is it? Let's leave Kim Davis, president of Artistic Swimming Australia, to answer the question with a picturesque description: 

 “Imagine sprinting all-out, while underwater, chlorine in your eyes, holding your breath and trying to be in line with seven of your other colleagues.”

Adam Andrrasko, CEO of USA Artistic Swimming shares a similar view: 

“It’s definitely the most underappreciated athletic talent in sport, but I think it’s truly the most demanding sport that there is in the Olympic program. It’s very, very difficult even for high-level athletes to comprehend what it takes to be an artistic swimmer.” 

This is the reality behind the protagonists of this unique sport. It is obvious that anyone wishing to become part of this wonderful world must possess perfect swimming skills. There are two competitive sections in artistic swimming: 

•  The compulsory figures 
• The routines 

 The first is more known as stunts or skills while the latter are choreographed to music and are performed in solo, duet or team patterns. Top-level athletes of artistic swimming train up to 10 hours a day. We shall bear in mind that concussions occur quite frequently, mainly at a team level. 

Artistic swimming is a difficult sport that is not for all. At the same time though, it's such a fulfilling and rewarding experience to be part of this magical world. Combining athletic and artistic abilities and performing them within an aquatic environment is a truly unique achievement that can only bring feelings of pride!